Fate is Twisted
by Tactician-Kyurem
Summary: Dashed hopes. Destroyed dreams. Not one of the Shepherds felt the consequences of war so dramatically as their tactician. If there was a single lesson that Robin learned throughout his travels, it was that fate is twisted.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Recognize this story? I migrated it to my main account (this one). I'm relatively new to FanFiction, so a review, favorite, and/or follow would be _greatly_ appreciated.

These are not my characters.

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 **Press any button to begin.**

She was Ylisse's best ruler.

After her father passed away, she vowed to repair the broken chains that he had left. War had left the kingdom battered, angry, and desperate. And so she vowed to restore the nation's scars – to mend the people, broken both physically and in spirit.

And she kept her word.

When her people were angry, she worked with them in gentleness. When her people were downtrodden, she comforted them and uplifted their morale, guiding the nation down the path towards tranquility. She was an emblem of peace; a symbol of truth, justice, and equality.

Her people respected her. They followed her and supported her in every one of her actions. True respect is not something that is forced tyrannically – nay, it is _earned_ through trust.

But above all else, she had compassion: a deep love for all of her people. It radiated forth from each and every single one of her every actions – through her generosity, her attitude, and her words.

She had stuck through with it.

She had stuck through with it until the bitter end. Until her last words. Until her dying breath.

And look at what it had brought her in the end.

If Chrom learned anything, it was that fate is twisted. Emmeryn had done so much for her people, and destiny spat straight back in her face. His sister was gone, and to the hands of the mad king Gangrel, no less. It was unforgivable.

Drops of water started to bead down his face. Chrom sobbed. He howled. His knees buckled, and he fell down on to the soaked ground. And he screamed in pure anguish, hoping that just something would change.

As he did so, an army of Plegians started to approach him. He dried his tears, the pain within him hardening into a burning rage.

Chrom rose from his position with hatred blazed across his countenance. Here were the people that had robbed him of the greatest person in his life. They would pay for what they had done. It was truly unforgivable, alright.

Clenching the handle of the blade, Chrom raised Falchion, releasing its leather-coated scabbard to the ground – he didn't intend to use it anytime soon. He would make the Plegians pay.

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Robin stood by the camp on the worst day of his entire life (he ignored the fact that the statement in itself didn't mean that much).

A storm had struck, one unmatched in both size and ferocity. The downpour was accompanied with howling winds. _Even better._ The food was soggy as well, and daylight was dwindling away at an alarming and almost eerie rate.

Robin had left Chrom to himself. He said that he needed some space from the rest of the army.

 _Probably deforesting the area, or sticking Falchion in the ground like he always does_. But today he couldn't bring himself to grin at all, and much less to a chuckle.

He turned to the Shepherds, temporarily resting after the heated battle that had previously ensued. All of them looked the same - solemn faces, soaked clothes, and broken resolves.

Robin's mind focused back to himself.

The more he thought about the incidents that had occurred, the more he began to blame himself and the more broken he felt inside. He was the army's tactician. He had _just a single job_ that battle, and he couldn't even save one person. Robin had failed – a feat that prior to the incident, most of the soldiers would have deemed the impossible.

Maybe, if he placed the troops in different positions, everything could have turned out better – perhaps he could have saved Emmeryn's life. He unraveled a map of the desert and started to scribble furiously on the gridded terrain.

Aha! A vulnerability in the defenses! Panne and Donnel could have gone right _there_ \- NO! Then they would have both died! Frederick could have guarded them… but then Chrom would have been slain.

And who to guard Chrom?

Robin spotted one unused and unnoticed unit on the sidelines that _could_ have tipped the scales.

Himself. Robin had done it. Everything that happened, Robin could have prevented. He had killed Emmeryn.

The words sunk in, implanted and ingrained into his mind. Robin was no better than a traitor - he deserved to die, at the hands of Chrom, no less. Robin started in the muddy imprints Chrom's boots.

And suddenly, a cry of pure agony pierced the air. Robin approached the battleground, and he stared in horror at an army of Plegians. In the frontlines was Chrom's lifeless body.

Robin was too late. He had just let his best friend die. And he felt even sicker inside – failure, defeat, and agony sloshed around in his gut, turning him queasy.

He _should_ have thought of a backup plan to save the exalt. He _should_ have anticipated the sneak attack that led to Emmeryn plunging to her death. He _should_ have been there to save Ylisse's ruler. Robin _should_ have followed Chrom. He _should_ have expected a Plegian sneak attack. He _should_ have been there to save his best friend. And all of this added up to a simple sum: Robin _should_ have died – twice - for his actions.

And here was the Plegian army, mere strides away from the Shepherd camp. Without any warning, the rest of the tired soldiers would easily be cornered and finished off. If there was one last service Robin wished to perform, it was to die protecting the people he loved and the group he called his family – for the Shepherds he lived, and now for the Shepherds he would die. Conjuring up the incantation for _Mjölnir_ in his fingertips, Robin rushed headfirst to the battalion.

 **Game Over.**

Load a save file?

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The end is never the end. New chapters will be uploaded shortly. Questions? Feedback? Concerns? Leave a PM message or a comment - I'll try to respond to as many as I can.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: These are not my characters. A review, like, and/or favorite would be _greatly_ appreciated.

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 **Press any button to begin.**

Robin had seen the attack coming.

Ever since he had received word of the parley with Validar, the thought of a trap was at the forefront of his thoughts. And although the two of them had met less than three times, Robin knew how twisted that man was. The memory of their last encounter was still burned into the back of his mind – Validar had almost taken control of him. Robin knew what he was capable of. But even so, Validar was his father. Wishful thinking or not, Robin had some false hope that _just maybe_ the parley would work out. He wanted to believe that the arrangement would be completed peacefully. He wanted to believe that his father wasn't truly evil - that his father would change, that Robin could salvage what was left of that man. And so he guided the Shepherds to the throne of Validar, making sure that they were well-armed and ready for combat.

 _Give me the Fire Emblem._

All too quickly, the tides started to shift. Ten minutes had not passed before the Shepherds knew that any chance for a peaceful agreement was gone. To say they were cornered would have been an understatement - at Validar's command, hundreds of mages blocked all places of entry and exit, surrounding the group. Robin anticipated a trap, not an army. For a country crippled by war, the sheer size of Plegia's army was mortifying.

To Robin, it seemed as though time itself had become twisted. In the span of just a second, the Plegians had cornered them. But for what seemed like an eternity, both armies stood head-to-head, glowering at each other in burning silence and heated still.

"RUN!" Chrom bellowed, breaking the stare down. And all at once, everything started to snap back to reality.

The Shepherds didn't have to be told twice. The soldiers fanned out, quickly and efficiently eliminating most of the surrounding Plegians before racing down and out of the central corridor. Arrows rained down from above, impeding their progress and injuring those without shields. _Mire_ tomes boomed at all sides, threatening to tear apart their ranks. But never once did they stop, for stopping meant certain death.

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Robin gritted his teeth as a tomahawk grazed his leg. He casted _Arcthunder_ in response, causing his aggressor to drop to the floor. The battle had drawn on for too long. Validar's palace was looking more and more like a madhouse – the whole floor itself became a maze, making it nigh impossible for the Shepherds to advance in the correct direction. And out of every corridor, staircase, and room crept more and more Plegian reinforcements. This wasn't about Sable anymore. This was about making it out alive.

Robin's ears throbbed from the deafening blares of explosions, and his throat ached from the lack of water. Limping, the tactician pressed on to the next room, exhaustion pushing his body to its limits. Beside him, Chrom was having similar issues, finding it difficult to clash blades with a large gash on his arm. Robin stole a glance back at the Shepherds. _All of them_ were wounded: Lissa, Maribelle, and Libra simply couldn't keep up. They all desperately needed healing and rest.

But they couldn't. Not with the best Plegian archers aimed at their heads. Not with all of the sorcerers firing off bolts of magic. Not with all of the swordsmen at their tail, relentless in pursuit.

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"ALMOST THERE!" Chrom yelled over the fighting.

Never in his life was Robin so overjoyed to spot an exit. His spirits rose as escape seemed just strides away. A good portion of the Plegian army had been eliminated, and the distance separating the Shepherds and the pursuing soldiers became greater and greater. Beside him, Lissa made her way to the frontlines with the war report – none had died, but all had been wounded. Victory was drawing nigh.

And then everything happened in an instant.

In a blinding flash of light, Validar materialized and casted _Arcwind_ , sending Chrom spiraling backwards onto his knees.

"FATHER!" Lucina cried out, before being knocked to the ground by the same spell.

The palace turned to an eerie quiet. Robin stood, slack-jawed, at what had just happened. Quickly, he unsheathed his own sword before-

 _Give me the Fire Emblem_.

Robin dropped the blade, sending the metallic sound reverberating throughout the passage. He suddenly clutched his head, his ragged breath reduced to short, desperate gasps. It was as if Validar's armies were within Robin's brain, waging war on his entire being.

 ** _Give me the Fire Emblem._**

The words screamed again in Robin's head, infiltrating all of his thoughts, memories, and desires. Mustering the last ounces of his strength and willpower, he resisted. Robin couldn't afford to lose now. The Shepherds were counting on him to stay strong.

 ** _GIVE ME THE FIRE EMBLEM._**

The words screamed louder this time, louder and louder until Robin could no longer think. Until he could no longer control his body. Until he was no longer aware of Chrom, desperately pleading him to stop the madness. Streaks of red started to engulf his eyes as dark energy began to course through his veins. And at that moment, the Robin that the Shepherds knew was gone. He had simply ceased to exist.

The tactician handed Validar the Fire Emblem. But the orders in his brain didn't stop. Instead, the words screamed louder than ever.

 ** _SLAUGHTER THEM ALL! LEAVE NONE REMAINING!_**

None had died, but all had been wounded – they were all weak, tired, and powerless.

 _All were wounded, and now all will die._ Before anyone could stop him, Robin casted a beam of _Thoron_ in an arc, felling every last Shepherd.

And he turned to back Validar, who was still cackling madly.

The Plegian king stared at him straight in the eye, before sudden realization shocked him.

Before Validar could warp away from the room, Robin killed him too.

It was over. 

**Game Over.**

Load a save file? 

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The end is never the end. Questions? Feedback? Concerns? Feel free to PM me - I will try and respond to as many as I can.


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